Voter fraud

     Those who raise the specter of voter fraud as a threat to democracy are often marginalized as sore losers or denizens of the political fringe.
      As an example, consider the high-profile case involving former Rep. Bob Dornan, the California Republican. Even though investigators documented some examples of illegal aliens casting ballots in his failed 1996 re-election race, few took his case seriously.
      But now comes Miami. A judge there has thrown out the results of the recent mayoral election, citing massive absentee ballot fraud. He has ordered a new election in May.
      If anything else, the Florida fiasco highlights the fact that voter fraud does indeed exist -- and that allegations of it must be taken seriously. In addition, the role of absentee ballots in facilitating the abuse should be a giant red flag to those who set Nevada's own election laws.
      Under the guise of making it easier to participate in the democratic process, Nevada imposes very few restrictions on the use of absentee ballots. It is precisely such an approach that invites fraud and abuse. Proposals to implement safeguards to more closely monitor the use of absentee voting -- as part of an omnibus election reform package presented to the 1993 Legislature -- were either gutted or watered down.
      There is a school of thought which holds that voting must be made as convenient as possible to entice the disenfranchised to participate. And nobody would argue that we revert to the days when legal obstacles discouraged or even prevented citizens from voting.
      But of equal importance to widespread participation is the integrity of the balloting. Too many proponents of liberal election laws conveniently overlook that, even arguing against such common-sense requirements as demanding proof of citizenship from those who register to vote. The result -- as played out in Miami -- threatens to undermine the foundations of democracy.